Rescues · Mentorship · Pollinator habitat
We mentor young beekeepers, rehome honeybee colonies, assess hazardous wasp nests and help landowners support native pollinators across the Similkameen Valley.
Community & Advocacy
Beginners & youth
Learn with Mark at the Princeton apiaries. $25 per session for youth and students, $35 for adults. Join one session or pre-book all 12 for $250 youth / $350 adults. An accompanying parent or guardian joins free.
See prices & sign up →Humane Removal
Colonies in walls, soffits, sheds and downed cottonwood do not need extermination. We cut out, comb-tie and rehome swarms and established colonies into managed equipment, then help homeowners seal the cavity so it stays empty.
Targeted Response
Yellowjackets and bald-faced hornets get identified before anything happens. We remove genuine hazards near doorways and play areas, and leave the beneficial nests that quietly control garden pests all summer.
Mason & Bumble Bees
Honeybees are livestock; Mason and bumble bees are neighbours. We build and place nesting habitat, advocate for uncut bloom margins along valley roads, and teach landowners how to read which pollinators are already working their land.
For local businesses
Business Adopt-a-Hive starts at $1,000, separate from family adoption. Explore a custom season of staff hive days, honey gifts and bee-first community learning with Mark.
Explore business adoption →
Environmental Insights
Read how forage, habitat, drought, smoke and winter conditions shape managed hives and native pollinators in the Similkameen Valley.
Beyond the Honeybee
We track bloom succession, nesting habitat and pesticide pressure so native pollinators keep working beside our managed hives across both apiary landscapes.
Similkameen Watershed
Our yards sit on dry benches above the river where sage, alfalfa and wild clover set the honey's character. We leave bloom margins uncut, plant drought-tolerant forage, and move hives to follow nectar flows rather than forcing production.
The 4H Standard
Happy, Healthy, Heavy, Harmony. Mark starts outside the hive and only opens it when evidence and a necessary question justify disturbance. The four connected pillars shape every management decision — from winter care and local forage to the beginner mentorship and youth workshops we teach.
Adaptive Beekeeping
Drought, smoke and temperature swings are part of the Similkameen season. We select genetics for frugal wintering, keep double nucs as insurance, and time splits to the valley's bloom calendar instead of a calendar date.
Want to go deeper? The hands-on beekeeping sessions cover these ideas in practice.
View sessions →Join the list and note what you need — rescue, wasp assessment, habitat guidance, field notes or mentorship for a young beekeeper. We answer every message from the yard.
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